[News] Tim Cook apologizes for buggy Maps - "It Fell Short"

The icon on Apple's homepage

Apple CEO Tim Cook has posted a letter online 3 days ago, on the Apple website saying they are "extremely sorry" about the buggy Maps application and all the drama that has been unfolding over the past few weeks about it. Apple replaced the Google Maps application for its own-baked version of Maps, which was built-in to iOS 6.
Since iOS 6 was released to the public, consumers have been criticizing Apple for its errors and bugs in its Maps application. Some say that locations are missing, rendering is out of line, places being in the wrong places etc. Some even say that the lack of transit information is a pain!

Apple don't usually do apologies, but on some "special" occasions it does. Like two years ago when Apple offered "free bumper cases" for people who had the "antennagate" issue with the iPhone 4.

This is what Tim Cook's letter said:

  "To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook

Apple’s CEO"

It is also unusual for Apple to promote its competitors just like it did above, but Tim Cook must be praised for actually apologizing to its customers and for coming forward about its buggy Maps. I presume this apology letter will help Apple in the long run.

Here is the external link to the letter. What are your thoughts about Apple Maps? Have you had any troubling issues? Let us know in the comments down below!